Automatic winding timepiece



Dec. 30, 1952 G'. BRIDE'VAUX AUTOMATIC WINDINGv TIMEPIECE Filed July 26,1951 r/devaqx Patentecl Dec. 30, 1952 AUTOMATIC WINDING TIMEPIECEGeorges Bridevaux, Tavannes, Switzerland, as-

signor to Tavannes Watch Co. S. A., Tavannes, Switzerland, a firm ofSwitzerland Application July 26, 1951, Serial No. 238,628 In SwitzerlandJune 29, 1951 1 Claim. l

The present invention has for its object an -automatic winding timepiece wherein the winding up means include a ratchet wheel controlled bya pawl carried by a swinging lever.

The improved time piece is characterized by the fact that said swinginglever is controlled in its turn by a rod pivotally secured theretothrough one of its ends and sliding inside a guiding member to which thewinding up member impresses a reciprocating movement, while a coilspring mounted round said rod abuts on one hand against the end of theguiding member and on the other hand against a shoulder on the rod in amanner such that the movements of the guiding member may be transmittedto the rod and therethrough to the swinging lever through the -agency ofthe said coil spring, which latter is adapted to yield, when thetensioning of the barrel spring reaches a predetermined value, in orderthat the ratchet Wheel may remain stationary even if the winding upmember continues `acting on the guiding member.

I have illustrated by way of example in accompanying drawings apreferred embodiment of the object of the invention. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section through line I-I of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a clockwork including a section through lineII-II of Fig. 1.

The time piece illustrated is a watch for an automobile adapted to besecured to the steering wheel, the turning of which provides for thewinding up of the watch through a rotation imparted to the wheel Iforming part of the winding gear. Said wheel I is rigid with a hub 2pivotally secured inside an auxiliary bridge piece 3 and wherein mayrevolve a trunnion 4 that is eccentric with reference to the axis of thewheel hub, said trunnion forming the crankpin of a crank and pivotallycarrying a lug a rigid with a tubular socket 5 the bottom 5b of which isperforated to allow the passage therethrough of a rod 6 the end of whichcarries a piston 'I slidingly engaging said socket 5. The other end ofthe rod 6 is screwed at 8, into the medial portion of a U-shaped member9 between the arms of which 4a swinging lever II is pivotally secured atIQ. The latter is rigid with a socket I2 revolubiy carriedy round asleeve I3 secured by a screw I4 to a square shaped part Ita provided atthe end of a spindle I5 revolving in and between a base plate I6 for theclockwork `and the barrel bridge I1. A ratchet wheel I8 is also fittedover the square shaped end 15a of the spindle I5 between the barrelbridge Il and the sleeve I3.

2 On the other hand, the spindle I5 is rigid with a wheel I9 driving thebarrel ratchet 20. The barrel is designated by the reference number 2|.To the swinging lever II is screwed at 22 an elastic blade 23, forming apawl co-operating with the ratchet wheel I8. The latter is stoppedagainst rearward movement through two elastic blades 24 and 25 securedto the frame at 26 vand slightly shifted with reference to each other ina manner such that after each shifting by one half tooth interval, theratchet I8 is held against rotation by either blade alternatingly. Arubber member 21 carried between the two elastic blades 2d and 25prevents the latter from vibrating and reduces thus the noise producedby the catch arrangement.

A first spring 28 is carried by the rod 6 inside the socket 5 and bearsthrough one end against the piston 1 and through its other end againstthe bottom 5b of the socket 5 while a second spring 29 surrounds the rod6 on the outside of the socket 5 and is held between the member il andthe bottom 5b of said socket 5.

The operation of said two springs provides for the transmission of themovement of the crank pin 4, as transformed into a reciprocation of thesocket 5, to the rod 6 and then through the member 9 to the swinginglever II. When the latter is shifted in the direction of the arrow 30,the pawl 23 carries Ialong with it the ratchet I8, which produces awinding up movement whereas, when the swinging lever II is shifted inthe opposite direction, the pawl 23 slides over the teeth of the ratchetI8. The operative movement of the swinging lever II is thus performedthrough the agency of the spring 28 while its return movement is ensuredthrough the spring 29.l When the tensioning of the barrel spring reachesa predetermined value, the movements of the crank may continue, but areno longer transmitted to the swinging lever II; the spring 28 yieldsthen and is compressed between the piston 6 and the bottom 5b of thesocket. This arrangement cuts out any excess tensioning of the watchspring and shows, furthermore, the advantage of an exceedingly silentoperation.

What I claim is:

In combination with yan automatic winding time piece including a barrel,a spring therein and a winding-up gear therefor, a ratchet wheel adaptedto actuate the winding-up gear, a pawl controlling said ratchet wheel,and a swinging lever carrying said pawl: the provision of a rodpivotally. secured to said swinging lever by its first extremity andarranged substantially diametrically with respect to the time piece, atubular guiding memberor said rod including a closed end through whichpasses said rod the second extremity of which lies partly in saidguiding member, a perforated lug secured to said guiding member at theproximity of its closed end, so that said guiding member extends beyondsaid lug with respect to the iirst extremity of the rod, a crankcontrolled by the winding-up means and pivotally secured to said lugthrough its outer operative end, a piston rigid with the secondextremity of the rod and lying inside said guiding member, and acoil-spring lying inside the guiding member too, mounted round the rodand between the piston and the closed end of said tubular guiding memberfor operatively connecting this latter with said rod, for transmittingthe reciprocation of the guiding member to the rod and therethrough tothe swinging lever, said spring transmitting the movement through the 4winding-up gear only until the ratchet wheel has Wound the barrel springup to a given value.

GEORGES BRIDEVAUX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

